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Blocks are an incredibly important piece of an early learning
classroom. Besides the obvious benefit blocks have in helping children
develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination, block play also teaches problem-solving,
encourages language skills and promotes the development of social emotional skills. When early educators avoid offering block
play experiences for toddler, it is often because they think the blocks are a
safety issue. The truth is, it can hurt
just as much when you are hit by a wooden block as it does by a plastic toy.

Materials in a Block
Play Center

There are
many different materials that children can use in the construction center, and
they are typically categorized into three main categories: blocks,
manipulatives and loose materials. Each
type serves a different purpose, so knowing their different roles and
attributes are important when evaluating the materials. It is also important to note that programs
working with a limited budget can still provide a good selection of block play
materials since many can be made from recycled/upcycled materials.

Let’s first
consider what a block is and is not. In
order for a material to meet the criteria of a block, it must not be
interconnecting. Blocks can stack easily upon each other, such as unit blocks
or basic ABC blocks – or not so easily, such as tree blocks or rock blocks.

ABC Blocks

Unit Blocks

Hollow Blocks

Foam Bricks and Rocks

Tree Blocks

Cardboard Blocks

Blocks can
be made out of wood, plastic, vinyl covered foam, and be solid or hollow.
Because of the nature of their materials, they lend themselves to teaching
concepts like balancing and leveling.

The most
popular and useful type of block to have available in the construction area is
the Unit Block set. Unit blocks are proportional in size (two squares are the
same length as a rectangle) so children can develop mathematical concepts and
build stable structures. Classrooms can
start with starter sets and then add on to include more blocks and shape
options for more complicated structures.

Manipulatives
are typically interlocking and designed to teach more math concepts and support
fine motor development. They can be great supplements to the construction area
and add contrast and special features to structures. Mega Blocks are one
example of a manipulative that is often mistaken for a block.

Now let's think about where children are in their block play development.

Two year- olds
are in the stages of Discovery, Towers and Roads, which means they can make
simple towers and knock them down, lay blocks side by side on the floor, and
build horizontally by placing blocks end to end. A two year-old will typically
play alone or near other children and is usually not ready to engage in
cooperative construction with peers.

Three year-olds
will begin building doorways, bridges, fences and walls. They can begin to
construct enclosures (rooms, pens or yards),
make bridges by standing two blocks upright and placing a third block
across the top, begin to name their constructions, and will start to engage in
cooperative block building. They are learning concepts such as sorting,
ordering, counting, one to one correspondence, size and shape.

Another reason teachers sometimes avoid offering block play with
toddlers is because the children have problems sharing the materials. The truth is, toddlers and young preschoolers
have problems sharing EVERYTHING because that is where they are developmentally. Even though most
children will not begin to master the skill of sharing until age four, having
opportunities to practice turn taking and side-by-side play in the block area
during the toddler and preschool years will help children learn this important
skill on time.

In our lending library we have a variety of block play totes
you can check out, including the tote, “Toddler Block Play.” In this tote there is the book, “Blocks,” by Irene Dickson and a set of
foam blocks.

In the book the two children are playing blocks side by side
– one with the red blocks and the other child with the blue blocks. And then the inevitable happens – one of the
children takes a block that isn’t theirs and the upset begins.

As you would expect, all
the blocks CRASH to the floor, but the fun surprise that all the colors get
mixed up. Now that both children have blue
and red blocks, they begin building together.

The tote also comes with the picture book, “Changes, Changes,” where a little wooden couple build a
block house and then it catches fire. They go through several changes along the
way, including building a boat, and then wind up building their house
again. This book is perfect for having a
conversation about “build it again” for when a structure falls down (or gets
knocked down!) Children can practice
making their own creations or recreating what they see on the pages.

In
addition to the books and foam blocks, the tote also contains a set of “Tobbles,”
which are six, different sized and weighted spheres that can nest inside each
other. They are great for
experimenting with balance, proportion and structure. Add the balls also included in the kit and
you have a recipe for fun!

What are you waiting for? Go get some blocks and join your toddlers! Don't have any blocks? Gather up some cardboard boxes and start there, or visit our lending library and check out some block totes!